UNH Incoming Class Shatters Records 2nd Year in a Row

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West Haven, Conn., July 27, 2009- For the second year in a row, the University of New Haven (UNH) is experiencing a surge in first-year fall enrollment. Deposits are up 13 percent over last year, which reflected a 65 percent increase over fall 2007. This year the University expects approximately 1,300 first-year students to arrive on campus on August 23, 2009.

UNH Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management Kevin Phillips notes that the continued increase is due to a number of factors, but says what makes UNH sizzle is, in the simplest terms, momentum. New and expanded academic programs, a vast array of study-abroad options and internship opportunities, new state-of-the-art facilities and the return of the Charger football team are just a few examples of the tremendous progress taking place on campus. Phillips also points out that a number of students find UNH especially attractive given the wide range of programs available and the relative ease in taking on a double or even triple major, such as criminal justice/psychology, global studies/business, or music and sound recording/music industry/business management. As a result, the University’s reputation for excellence and innovation is being recognized throughout the state, the nation and around the globe. New programs including theater arts, digital art and design, and museum studies are sparking interest of students worldwide.

Phillips also attributes the increase to a substantial focus on recruitment using social media such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and a new 360-degree virtual campus tour. The result, Phillips says, is a nearly 100-percent boost in campus visits. “With both campus and on-line visits, students and parents appreciate the solid connections they make with faculty members and staff,” he says. “And once they are here and get a view of the facilities, they see for themselves that UNH is a really ‘hot’ school.”

The excitement on campus is not only taking place in the classrooms and labs but also on the playing field with the return of football, notes Phillips. The Chargers play their first home game September 25 at the new Ralph F. DellaCamera Stadium on the University’s North Campus.

Along with the stadium, numerous other facilities have been built or renovated. The new 400-bed Soundview residence hall – which is expected to receive a gold rating from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Program – will open in August. In September, ground will be broken for the new home of the Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science on campus, further elevating the University of New Haven’s stature as one of the world’s leading institutions for the study of criminal justice and forensic science. Work has also begun on an expansion of the campus’s student center, Bartels Hall. A two-story addition will create multi-purpose spaces for student use, create a faculty dining room, and increase dining options and the number of student meeting rooms.

Other newly completed projects include the Laurel Vlock Center for Convergent Media, where students combine radio, TV, newspapers and the Internet using the latest media technology. With prominent names in technology including MacProG5, Filemaker Pro and Final Cut Pro, the center is one of the pre-eminent facilities of its kind in the nation.

Not to be outdone, the Samuel S. Bergami Learning Center for Finance and Technology features a Wall Street trading-room floor and Smart Classroom technology. Throughout the campus, Smart Classroom technology has become the norm. Custom-built classroom work stations are equipped with top-of-the-line equipment, and note-taking has reached a new level of sophistication. Classroom discussions are uploaded to the Blackboard Online Learning Portal for students to view, print and study at a later date via the Internet.

The David A. Beckerman Recreation Center is another star attraction on campus. Students flock to the Beckerman Recreation Center each day to socialize, exercise and relax. The center features a glass-enclosed running track; state-of-the-art exercise equipment; multi-purpose courts for basketball, rollerblading, roller hockey, volleyball and indoor soccer; a fitness center with multi-purpose rooms for yoga and Pilates; racquetball courts; lounges; and a juice bar.

A leader in experiential education, the University of New Haven is experiencing a historic and nationally recognized surge in enrollment. Founded in 1920, the University provides its students with a unique combination of solid liberal arts and real-world, hands-on professional training. UNH is a private university with an 80-acre main campus. The University has an enrollment of more than 5,200; approximately 1,700 graduate students and more than 3,500 undergraduates, 70 percent of whom reside in University housing. The University offers more than 80 undergraduate degrees and more than 25 graduate degrees through its five colleges, in fields such as sports management, nutrition, forensic science, music and sound recording, engineering, computer science and criminal justice. University College at UNH develops programs and courses to meet the emerging educational and training needs of educators, businesses and public and social agencies, focusing on academic excellence, convenience and flexibility. University of New Haven students study abroad through a variety of distinctive programs.